The Kabir Khan directorial won in the Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment category

Salman Khan is a happy man after his film "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" won a National Award in the Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment category. The superstar sent a long congratulatory message to the film's director, Kabir Khan.

"Salman, as you know, does not take awards very seriously. Usually when we win an award and I send him a message, then he just sends me back a smiley. But this time around it is the National Award and he also realises that this is more different and relevant," Kabir told BollywoodLife.

The filmmaker too is elated about the win. He said the National Award is relevant as most award ceremonies, these days, are nothing short of TV shows. "Bajrangi Bhaijaan is a film that has got more than its share of love from people, it has got great box office success and now on top of that we get the National Award, which is a true recognition, so I guess I can't feel happier than this," he added.

The Indian drama, with a human interest angle, was loved and appreciated so much so that it led to rumours of a sequel being planned. Kabir, however, rubbished the news saying sequels do not excite him but if there was a good script he would go for it. "Some characters become iconic. 'Bajrangi' is an iconic character, so is 'Chand Nawab'. So let's see," he told the Press Trust of India last year.

"Bajrangi Bhaijaan," which follows the story of a Hanuman bhakt Pawan (Salman) and little girl Munni's (Harshaali Malhotra) journey together, also picked up trophies at the Filmfare Awards, Screen Awards, Zee Cine Awards, the Times Of India Film Awards (TOIFA), Guild Awards, and Big Star Entertainment Awards among others.